Highly stressed MotoGP engines are usually only found in the garages of top MotoGP teams, a MotoGP engine is an awfully expensive piece of machinery. They don’t often end up in the hands of people unrelated to the sport. For “King” Kenny Roberts to hand one over to someone, it becomes motorcycle legend. It is the only MotoGP engine known to have left the paddock!

The project kicked off at the 2005 US Grand Prix where Kenny Roberts Sr agreed to supply Roland Sands with one of KR’s used V5 MotoGP engines to build a one off custom made bike. The bike would be unveiled a year later. Following the kick-off meeting, Roland Sands got down to business and designed the unique KRV5 Tracker, which took 11 months to design and fabricate from scratch.

The KRV5 Tracker is inspired by board track racing bikes which were very popular at the turn of the 20th century. Basically motorised bicycles, board track racing pushed the boundaries of motorcycle design and the 100mph barrier was broken by these amazing machines by 1912.

As speeds increased however, the sport became increasingly dangerous as well, and with very few safety precautions it was transferred to dirt track racing. The KRV5 pays homage to the early board track racers while tying the past to the present with modern MotoGP technology. The result – an awe-inspiring 200-horsepower machine!

NEW BLOOD is the story of the KRV5 Tracker. The world’s first and only MotoGP powered custom bike.

TEAM ROBERTS delivered one of their KRV5 motors to Roland Sands, and the cameras started rolling. If you’ve ever wanted to see a concept bike go from paper to a running prototype, buy “New Blood“, a documentary on the concept, build-up and running of this wonderful motorcycle, which will hopefully inspire us even further in our Seven hobby!

If you like MotoGP racing, Kenny Roberts or Nicky Hayden, buy New Blood. If you like custom motorcycles and the history of racing, buy New Blood. If you like RSD, buy New Blood.

Roland Sands, for those of you who don’t know is an ex AMA Champion and now a custom bike builder.

SOURCE: ROLAND SANDS DESIGN, PERFORMANCE MACHINE INC., TEAM ROBERTS

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No, it’s not Italian. Vardenchi in the Indian language Marathi means “Varde’s“. Akshai Varde, a former flight attendant who spent his teens riding a Yamaha RD350 decided to customise his own 1977 Royal Enfield Bullet. Soon he was being stopped on the streets of Delhi, being asked by other bikers where they could get their own custom choppers. After completing another chopper for a friend, Akshai Varde decided to set up his own workshop. Equipped with only basic tools, a drill and a grinder, Akshai Varde along with his assistant Hassan would work on customers Royal Enfield Bullets.

Now, with an 8-man ‘brotherhood’ (as he calls his team) including Creative Designer Sandeep Padol, Engine Technician Mukesh Maurya and Metal Fabricator Mehboob, Akshai Varde runs a fully equipped Vardenchi Motorcycles shop, with a lathe, metal fabrication tools and even an in-house paint booth.

Vardenchi Motorcycles takes in customers Royal Enfield Bullets, and converts them into choppers according to the customers desires. First, the customer specifies their requirements, and Vardenchi trashes out the details. Once the customer approves a design, the Vardenchi team then gets down to metalwork. The customer comes in once for a trial fit and changes can be included up to this stage. Once everything is set, the bike is completed.

Vardenchi Motorcycles have produced over 30 custom bikes to date, almost all of them Royal Enfield Bullets. They can do almost anything, from RM1000 cosmetic jobs like painting on flames, names or even stickers to RM25,000 conversions including belt drive rear conversions with 350mm rear tyres. Vardenchi are now looking to export their custom bikes.

PHOTOS: Jeevan Balwant
VIDEOS: Nautanki.tv

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